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Cobham is inhabited since the Iron Age. Signs of the Roman occupations have been found in this KT11 area. The 11th-century Domesday Book records this area as Covenham. It belonged to Chertsey Abbey back then. It is believed that the name means “village in a river’s curve”. This area includes several farms and two larger communities known as Church Cobham and Street Cobham. The first community formed around St Andrew’s Church. This church was established in the 12th century. It is a grade I listed building that still features a Norman tower. The church was renovated in the 19th century. The second community grew around Portsmouth-London Road.
In 1848, 1671 people were living here. The settlement developed after the railway was built in 1880. Several historic buildings were removed to enlarge the River Hill entrance into the High Street. The new buildings turned into shops so this area became a shopping center. Engineer Reid Railton and car designer Noel Macklin established Fairmile Works in Cobham. This is where the famous Railton road cars were produced. During World War II, Fairmile Manor housed the Airspeed office where the Airspeed Ambassador airliner was designed. A Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter crashed here in 1944. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The current Cobham Exchange building housed a coaching inn. Church Cobham is a Conservation Area since 1973. It includes 14 listed buildings such as Pyports, Church Stile House, and Ham Manor. This South West London area is part of the Elmbridge hundred. Shane Filan of the pop group Westlife owns a house in Cobham. Aaron Eckhart who is known for playing Harvey Dent in Batman: The Dark Knight is a former resident. Composer John Addison was born in Cobham. He won an Academy Award, A BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award. Racing driver Kenneth McAlpine was also born here.